Penn Township board weighs pantry proposal

Hizer offers another option.

MISHAWAKA -- It has daily hours and sits on a busy downtown street, but out of all of its clients, the Penn Township Food Pantry reaches only 6.5 percent from Osceola.

The township board would like the pantry to reach more of those eastern residents. Pantry director Mike Hayes would, too, but he said it's hard to draw them over to the building at 315 Lincoln Way W.

So on Tuesday -- as the board discussed the pros and cons of Hayes' money-saving proposal to start his own nonprofit organization to run the pantry -- board president Kent Hizer suggested another alternative.

Maybe, Hizer said, the trustee's office could work with a group of pantries in the area by issuing vouchers to clients to receive food at those charities. That, he said, could offer help closer where clients live.

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Hayes pointed out that the Penn pantry is unique since it's one of maybe a couple in St. Joseph County that has daily hours. The pantry provides clothing and some housewares for clients, too. And Hayes said he tries hard to ensure that the food offered is nutritional. It saw about 7,000 visits from needy households last year.

Hizer is trying to scrutinize that the township is getting the "most bang for its buck."

Township funding is tight.

Hayes said he's making the proposal to save taxpayer dollars. Under his proposal, the township would pay $75,000 for the first year and $65,000 per year after that -- down from $110,000 per year that the township now spends on the pantry.

Hayes said he'd make up the difference by raising even more donations than he does now -- with help from a board he's formed for his organization.

Township board member Dave Schmidt said to Hayes that, other than a once-a-year chance to nix funding, "We'll be your largest individual stakeholder, but we'd have no direct say in how you plan to manage this."

"Everything is negotiable," Hayes responded. He's submitted a business plan for his proposed charity.

Schmidt said he's inclined to have the township give start-up funding for the charity, then wean it down to no funding in no more than three years.

Hayes estimated that the administrative costs would be about 25 percent in his new organization. The pantry's staff now includes Hayes, a full-timer paid $36,000 a year, and three part-time staff, he said.

"I think there's a definite need for food distribution," Hizer emphasized. He said the township has a "statutory and a moral obligation to take care of people."